Jean Byrne hopes for 'fewer commutes, improved air quality and a sense of community' when the Covid-19 crisis is over.
"Since this extraordinary turn of events began, my work schedule has remained unchanged, but in Met Éireann we now work remotely where possible. We have been equipped with a monitor and a laptop, which provides access to all the sophisticated data which previously could only be accessed from the Met Eireann offices.
"The live weather bulletins are still broadcast from the weather studio in RTÉ, and some duties are still carried out in Met Éireann, but much of the work is prepared at home. This means there is less interaction with colleagues, which does seem a bit strange at times!
"Because my work schedule is more or less the same as previously, I haven't got around to doing more of the things I love to do in my free time. There’s a long list of books to get through. I usually keep most of the novels for a beach holiday, but I have almost finished The Lover (L’Amant), an autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras, set in Saigon.
"It’s very short and beautifully written, if somewhat disturbing. I’m also dipping in and out of various books on metaphysics, spirituality etc, as well as art text books. Over the last year or two I have been taking part-time art classes. The term had just ended when the restrictions were introduced, but it is now possible to take a life drawing class via zoom - the wonders of technology!
"We are fortunate from a work point of view that the weather has been benign, with high pressure keeping our weather very settled. This makes life at work less pressurised, with no significant warning scenarios.
With the fine spell, I have been enjoying my garden, getting some routine jobs done and planning for summer colour. I’m a big fan of al fresco dining when the evenings are warmer. I am really appreciating nature, especially birdsong.
"I try to get a walk in as much as possible and do some foundation yoga each day. It helps to keep me centred and focused.
"While I really miss social outings - meeting friends, going out to dinner etc, calls with family and friends are longer and more frequent. There’s still a lot of humour and resourcefulness.
"When we return to ‘normality’, I hope that it will be an enhanced one, bringing with us all the positives that can be taken from this experience, such as increased remote-working with fewer commutes, improved air quality and sense of community."
